Why a 1950 Defense Law Matters Again for Tungsten, Antimony and Titanium
Key Highlights
- ➤Fireweed Metals (FWZ) awarded US$15.8 million for Mactung tungsten project feasibility work
- ➤Nova Minerals (NVA) received US$43.4 million for Alaska antimony processing facility
- ➤IperionX (IPX) received US$18.5 million Army titanium task order, with US$11.5 million funded
- ➤Electra Battery Materials (ELBM) arranged approximately US$82 million for cobalt refinery construction
- ➤Western Star (WSR) reported 14 of 23 samples above 0.10% WO₃ at Eagle Point
Expert Statements
Blake Morgan, President and CEO of Western Star Resources
“Securing the western extension with the surface rights already in hand is exactly how we want to grow Eagle Point; decisively, and with long-term surface access locked in. The New Claims contain part of the historical trench network that helped define this system, and they have never been touched by modern exploration”
Ian Gibbs, President and CEO of Fireweed Metals
“Drilling at Tom South continues to deliver with another successful high-grade and very wide intersection in our farthest eastern step-out to date from known mineralization”
Christopher Gerteisen, CEO of Nova Minerals
“This equipment delivery brings Nova Minerals a step closer to establishing a secure, vertically integrated antimony supply chain for the United States domestic market”
Trent Mell, CEO of Electra Battery Materials
“With mechanical completion targeted for the second quarter of 2027, we are now building the team and operating systems needed to commission the refinery and bring it into production safely and reliably”
Taso Arima, CEO of IperionX
“This second U.S. Army task order represents an important step in scaling IperionX’s titanium powder-to-part manufacturing platform”
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American News Group News Commentary - The Defense Production Act of 1950 provided financial assistance to private enterprise for the production of goods and services necessary for national security, and its Title III, Section 302, provided for the encouragement of exploration, development and mining of critical and strategic metals and minerals, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Under that law, the Interior Department established the Defense Minerals Administration in December 1950, intended to serve, along with other duties, as a direct contracting agency for minerals exploration, and in November 1951 it established the Defense Minerals Exploration Administration (DMEA), a program confined to exploration for critical and strategic minerals that continued until 1958. Seven decades later, Title III money is again flowing to mineral projects, and defense agencies are backing domestic supply chains for antimony, cobalt and titanium. At least one tungsten property now being readied for drilling still carries DMEA-era paperwork. Companies mentioned in today’s commentary include: Western Star Resources Inc. (CSE: WSR) (OTC: WSRIF) (FRA: 4K2), Fireweed Metals Corp. (TSXV: FWZ) (OTCQX: FWEDF), Nova Minerals Corp (NYSE American: NVA) (ASX: NVA), Electra Battery Materials Corporation (NASDAQ: ELBM) (TSX-V: ELBM), IperionX Limited (NASDAQ: IPX) (ASX: IPX).
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